Inside the New York Yankees clubhouse with MLB.com beat writer Bryan Hoch.

Mariano: Yankees have ‘no excuses’

Yawn. Up, down, another 12 pitches for Mariano Rivera and another breezy scoreless inning. At least this time Rivera allowed a hit, as Gerald Laird stroked a ground single to right field. Other than that, Rivera said that all is well and there have been no problems so far.

Rivera will take the next couple of days off before returning to action, and said his remaining goals are to get stronger and be ready to work quickly if he has to come in for the middle of the eighth inning at some point during the year. The Yankees always like to say that Rivera will pitch the ninth inning and only the ninth inning, but it never seems to hold up.

“Hopefully we’re so good that I don’t have to do that,” Rivera said. “That would be the best case scenario for me. I’d be happy because that means the whole pitching staff is doing great.”

And of this staff, Rivera said he sees plenty of potential for success, especially with the additions of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

“We can’t complain – there’s no excuses,” Rivera said. “The Yankees did tremendous. They went and got the best two starters on the market. We have those two, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy [Pettitte] and Joba [Chamberlain].”

What did he mean by “no excuses,” Rivera was asked?

“We always say, we don’t have starters,” Rivera said. “We don’t have this. We don’t have that. Last year we didn’t have starters – we came up with two rookies (Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy). Unfortunately it didn’t work. But we didn’t have an entire rotation. Now, we do.”

Share this:

Like this:

14 Comments

Excuse me mam but the Steve Phillips may be a failed GM but he was a GM still and he has alot of knowledge, alot of worthless opinions included but he and Baerga are far more knowledgeable than you, I or a low budget tabloid writer.

Dude, you are stupid. I never said to trade for Garry Matthews! I was pointing out someone else’s Bpark-like stupidity!! God, are you kidding me? Are you that dense that you can’t read? What, do you just mash on your keyboard and hit ‘submit’?

Baerga works for ESPN for his “knowledge of the game”? So does Steve Philips; what’s your point? Carlos Baerga is an idiot. Anyone who makes a broad statement such as “the [insert team here] rotation will be unhittable” deserves to be fired. But of course, I know nothing because I don’t work in bristol connecticut. Oh, sorry, I can’t use even the slightest wit and mirth here because Bpark will bust a fuse trying to figure it out.

And folks, can you believe that this **** just reposted an entire thread here just to make a three or four line comment? I mean, is that funny or what? And please, if anyone else out there thinks that Carlos Baerga has said anything of any value at any point about this Yankee team, please, by all means, let me know. I’m sure he said that the Yankee line up will hit 500 homeruns too.

Baerga works for ESPN for his knowledge of the game. His respect is greater than Eminem4040 wannabes in the baseball world.
Girardi knows his situation, he already stated this.
Matthews jr. has a bigger contract than Igawa. MORE Nonsense from Eminem 4040

Inside the New York Yankees clubhouse with MLB.com beat writer Bryan Hoch.Mariano: Yankees have ‘no excuses’
Yawn. Up, down, another 12 pitches for Mariano Rivera and another breezy scoreless inning. At least this time Rivera allowed a hit, as Gerald Laird stroked a ground single to right field. Other than that, Rivera said that all is well and there have been no problems so far.

Rivera will take the next couple of days off before returning to action, and said his remaining goals are to get stronger and be ready to work quickly if he has to come in for the middle of the eighth inning at some point during the year. The Yankees always like to say that Rivera will pitch the ninth inning and only the ninth inning, but it never seems to hold up.

“Hopefully we’re so good that I don’t have to do that,” Rivera said. “That would be the best case scenario for me. I’d be happy because that means the whole pitching staff is doing great.”

And of this staff, Rivera said he sees plenty of potential for success, especially with the additions of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

“We can’t complain – there’s no excuses,” Rivera said. “The Yankees did tremendous. They went and got the best two starters on the market. We have those two, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy [Pettitte] and Joba [Chamberlain].”

What did he mean by “no excuses,” Rivera was asked?

“We always say, we don’t have starters,” Rivera said. “We don’t have this. We don’t have that. Last year we didn’t have starters – we came up with two rookies (Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy). Unfortunately it didn’t work. But we didn’t have an entire rotation. Now, we do.”
Posted on March 21, 2009 at 5:26 PMPermalinkComments (11)
Tags: Mariano Rivera
Report any abuse or spam
11 Comments
I can’t argue with Mo. He is right and Girardi better not offer any excuses.

By bpark23@gmail.com on March 21, 2009 5:34 PM
Report any abuse or spam
Olney: Dontrelle Willis could get cut despite extension last year.

By bpark23@gmail.com on March 21, 2009 5:46 PM
Report any abuse or spam
Willis was an absolute disaster for the Tigers, I knew it before they signed him. He got ripped by the AL and will continue to get smoked in the AL. His only hope is to go back to the NL and stay there for the rest of his career. HE can’t hack the AL.

By matthew_saiki@gmail.com on March 21, 2009 5:57 PM
Report any abuse or spam
Carlos Baerga: Yankees rotation will be unhittable.

By bpark23@gmail.com on March 21, 2009 5:59 PM
Report any abuse or spam
Willis was an absolute disaster for the Tigers, I knew it before they signed him. He got ripped by the AL and will continue to get smoked in the AL. His only hope is to go back to the NL and stay there for the rest of his career. HE can’t hack the AL.

By bpark23@gmail.com on March 21, 2009 6:00 PM
Report any abuse or spam
Rivera makes a good point.

By seanserritella on March 21, 2009 8:48 PM
Report any abuse or spam
Willis is done. He was gaining a run a year on his ERA before the Tigers got him, it was a plain old fashioned boneheaded move by Dombrowski. I guess every GM makes those, trying to look like a genius by turning around a player even he knows in the back of his head is already a bust.

Our rotation looks good on paper, but bad things happen. Just look at last year, when our ace went down on a freak injury running the bases. Its guaranteed that turns will be missed, the 2004 Red Sox are the exception that proves the rule. The key to our rotation being unhittable is how Hughes and the rest pick up the slack.

By a7989 on March 21, 2009 8:54 PM
Report any abuse or spam
I can’t argue with Mo. He is right and Girardi better not offer any excuses.

By bpark23@gmail.com on March 21, 2009 5:34 PM
I’m sure that Girardi is just quaking in his boots now that BPARK is on the case.

Bpark, what is your excuse for being such a D*uche?

By mm440 on March 22, 2009 12:23 AM
Report any abuse or spam
Carlos Baerga: Yankees rotation will be unhittable.

It says that I can report abuse. Does this include the utter and complete abuse of logic and intellect too? I mean, who the hell cares what Baerga says? Oh, sorry. Bpark does. Anyone else notice that Bpark only posts the most idiotic and inane referrences on this blog? I mean, Carlos Baerga, THERE’S a baseball authority for you. When a player seems to lose his all-star skills seemingly overnight it’s called the “Carlos Baerga Syndrome” for crying out loud. If say, Sandy Kofax was saying that, I’d believe it. But Baerga? please….yet another brain-in-the-colon type comment from pBark.

The yankees rotation has to prove it can stay healthy first, you squid.

By mm440 on March 22, 2009 12:30 AM
Report any abuse or spam
Baerga works for ESPN for his knowledge of the game. His respect is greater than yours in the baseball world.
Girardi knows his situation, he already stated this.
Matthews jr. has a bigger contract than Igawa. MORE Nonsense from Eminem 4040.

I read on another blog about the idea of trading Igawa for Garry mathews Jr. Um, isn’t that a case of just trading a dead rat for a rancid pile of cow dung?

I mean, let;s just trade stupidity with one another.

screw this crap. I’m going to watch sooper troopers. “screw your guys, I’m going home” (I promise to stop with the South Park Referrences some time before the season starts….but seeing the word “park” so many times followed by a stupid-azzzed comment makes me think about a pissant little white bread mountain town in Colorado. I am seeing a therapist for that)

It says that I can report abuse. Does this include the utter and complete abuse of logic and intellect too? I mean, who the hell cares what Baerga says? Oh, sorry. Bpark does. Anyone else notice that Bpark only posts the most idiotic and inane referrences on this blog? I mean, Carlos Baerga, THERE’S a baseball authority for you. When a player seems to lose his all-star skills seemingly overnight it’s called the “Carlos Baerga Syndrome” for crying out loud. If say, Sandy Kofax was saying that, I’d believe it. But Baerga? please….yet another brain-in-the-colon type comment from pBark.

The yankees rotation has to prove it can stay healthy first, you squid.

Willis is done. He was gaining a run a year on his ERA before the Tigers got him, it was a plain old fashioned boneheaded move by Dombrowski. I guess every GM makes those, trying to look like a genius by turning around a player even he knows in the back of his head is already a bust.

Our rotation looks good on paper, but bad things happen. Just look at last year, when our ace went down on a freak injury running the bases. Its guaranteed that turns will be missed, the 2004 Red Sox are the exception that proves the rule. The key to our rotation being unhittable is how Hughes and the rest pick up the slack.

Willis was an absolute disaster for the Tigers, I knew it before they signed him. He got ripped by the AL and will continue to get smoked in the AL. His only hope is to go back to the NL and stay there for the rest of his career. HE can’t hack the AL.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.